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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25629100">Monument</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxmoon/pseuds/halcyonhowl'>halcyonhowl (foxmoon)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Adventure Zone (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fishing date, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, M/M, big emotions and soft emotions, reaper grave theory, they're in love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:02:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,513</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25629100</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxmoon/pseuds/halcyonhowl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kravitz and Taako go on an unconventional fishing date and stumble across Kravitz's grave.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>99</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Monument</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was written as a combo of two anon prompt requests: </p><p>Fluff idea taakitz date where they go fishing and have a picnic on the water and just have a nice time</p><p>Taz angst kravitz remembers how he died while on a bounty and comes home to taako but then fluff because taako is a good boyfriend</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Taako looks over the edge of the boat warily. Formless spirits drift by below the surface, serene as they are spooky. “You sure they do this all the time here? Seems, I dunno. Disrespectful? People are at rest. Also, I don’t wanna fish out someone’s fuckin’...long dead racist grandpa either.”</p><p>“Oh, yes, it’s completely fine. This is the best vacation spot in all of the Astral realm! Only the chillest souls rest here,” Kravitz says with a confidence that comforts Taako. Somewhat. “And anyway, you won’t pull out any spirits. I promise. There are fish here, just not the kind you’re used to.”</p><p>“Heh, okay. You plan on filling me in on what you mean by that, my man?” Taako says as he leans back against the pile of pillows. It’s quite lavish, this astral boat.</p><p>“Oh, it’s nothing scary. You’ll see.” Kravitz smiles. “Just sit back and relax. We’re almost there.”</p><p>Ugh, that smile. So unfairly hot. Taako props his booted feet up on the edge of the boat and turns his gaze upward. The sky is a cauldron of swirling turquoise and blue nebulae with countless stars scattered throughout. It’s all reflected on the water’s surface, which is disorienting as hell, but Taako’s still a fan. It’s like they have the whole universe to themselves.</p><p>Kravitz rows them farther out to sea until the beach they left behind is a thin wisp of white sand on the horizon. The waves are gentler, languid enough to rock Taako to sleep. But that won’t happen the longer he’s left to imagine what kind of deep sea nightmare fish might lurk in a ghost-filled ocean. He attempts to distract himself by watching how Kravitz’s arm muscles flex as he pulls the oars through the water. He also hums while he rows, and it’s lovely. Kravitz is <em>so</em> lovely, and Taako knows he’s in <em>so</em> deep, but that’s okay. Kravitz can’t see how heavy Taako’s heart thuds in his chest through all the layers he’s wearing.</p><p>Eventually Taako notices that they’re heading for an island. It’s small, and has only one large tree shading its grey shores. The small slip of sky directly above it is bright and cloudy as though a hole has been carved into space to reveal another reality. </p><p>Kravitz stops rowing. His gaze has slipped to the middle distance, and his brows are slightly drawn together. </p><p>Taako sits up and leans forward. “Hey, Krav?”</p><p>Water laps against the sides of the boat in the silence. The boat drifts along a current that pulls it ashore.</p><p>“Hi,” Kravitz says finally, and his eyes refocus on Taako’s. His smile is more tender than Taako can bear, but there’s an edge of sorrow there, too. Something is wrong.</p><p>“Where’re you taking me, handsome?” Taako asks, scooting closer. He puts a gentle hand on Kravitz’s knee.</p><p>“What?” He looks back over his shoulder toward the island. “Oh. I suppose this is happening now. Ah well...” Kravitz sighs and pulls the oars from the water to set them along the inside edge of the rowboat. He hops out and pulls it to the bank of sand, then holds out a hand to help Taako. </p><p>Taako steps out of the boat with his help, and into the shallow waves. Once ashore, Kravitz leads the way through the tall grass and up a short hill. He comes to a stop under the boughs of the tree. A breeze whips past, sifting branches but not Taako’s hair. </p><p>“This is, uh, well I’ll just get it over with.” Kravitz scratches the back of his neck and smiles, adorably awkward. He gestures toward the ground. “This is where I’m buried.” </p><p>Taako looks over at the tree, and the patch of wildflowers that sway in an inconsistent breeze below it. “Cooooool,” he drawls. </p><p>All of the colors are washed out, and the island itself seems touched by a faint haze of light. Motes of dust are suspended in the air, barely drifting despite the wind. He doesn’t see a marker at first. But it’s there, a flat slab of eroded stone. Carved letters are mostly indiscernible on its mottled surface. Taako feels… far away inside of himself. He takes Kravitz’s hand. </p><p>“You, ah, wanna have a romantic picnic on your grave?” Taako looks over at Kravitz fondly, who is looking off to the side. Decidedly not at his own grave. “Gotta say this is a new level of goth for you, Bones.”</p><p>Kravitz laughs. “Yeah, sorry about this. Definitely didn’t intend on taking us here today. I was just… I had my mind on things. Suppose it went a bit astray.” He brushes his thumb along Taako’s wrist, giving him all kinds of tingles.</p><p>Taako’s first instinct is to tease him for thinking about death when Taako’s <em>right there</em>, but Kravitz is clearly feeling some kind of way about this whole thing. “Had your mind on death in the land of ghosts, it tracks.” </p><p>“This place can respond a bit too well to thoughts and dreams sometimes. You see, Taako, reapers are bound to our graves by strong ritual magic. They appear in the Astral plane as islands like this because of it. To know where a reaper is buried is to know the first step in how to destroy us. I’ve been dead a very long time, but it’s still out there. I know for certain that people have tried to search for it. Families of necromancers I’ve reaped, for instance. They won’t find it because they don’t know what they’re looking for.” He draws in a deep breath and the sigh that follows is shaky. “I’ve never known a reaper to share the location of their grave before with anyone, but you’re not just anyone. I was thinking about how much I love you and how I couldn’t believe I found someone I trust to the point that I’d be willing to.. well. I guess I projected my thoughts a bit too much and, uh, here we are.”</p><p>Taako feels unworthy of this. His stomach sinks and he starts to pull away. All he wanted was to chill with his fiance, catch a few fish, and maybe get a little smooching done, but now all of these unwieldy emotions have seized his tongue and made his eyes sting. The grave blurs when he blinks. </p><p>“T-Taako? I—”</p><p>Everything boils upward, all of this love and all of this fear. Taako whirls on him. “D’you realize what you’re <em>doing</em>? You’re showing me how to destroy you. You’re showing me how you can be un-fuckin’-made! I-I don’t ever want to know that. <em>Fuck</em>.” He clenches his fists and begins to pace. “You say there’s people out there looking for it, what if they come to me? D’you think they’ll ask nice? What if I tell them because I’m a fuckin… asshole and don’t wanna be tortured?” Taako trembles, he actually fucking trembles, and he hates that. “God, you’re so… you’re…” Taako exhales and wraps his arms around himself. And in a very small, very warbled voice, he adds: “I love you.” </p><p>Kravitz reaches out tentatively and puts his hand on Taako’s arm. He rubs up and down with slow, soothing strokes. </p><p>Taako leans forward, and falls into Kravitz’s ready embrace. It’s not exactly warm, but it comforts him in only the way Kravitz’s arms around him can.</p><p>“I’m so sorry, Taako. I didn’t mean to—I didn’t think about it like that. And you needn’t worry, I’m not on my own out there anymore. Your sister and brother-in-law would help me put a stop to any nonsense like that.”</p><p>“Psshyeah. Good luck tracking down all of Barry’s graves, dipshits.”</p><p>Kravitz laughs, a comforting sensation against Taako’s chest. “I’m not worried about you telling either. You’re one of the cleverest people I know. You’d find a way out of it that keeps both of us safe.”</p><p>Taako’s arms squeeze around Kravitz. “I’m sorry for the uh, drama or whatever,” he says, voice muffled as he buries his nose into Kravitz’s shoulder. “It’s… it’s a huge fucking deal to hear you trust me that much.” He turns his head to the side so he can see the grave. An overwhelming loneliness threatens him just imagining this grave out there forgotten in the world, but before he can sink into it further, he leans back to look Kravitz in the eye. “I guess fishing’s out.”</p><p>“No way. We’ve got the whole afternoon left. C’mon.” Kravitz kisses him, firm and lingering on the lips.</p><p>“Mmmm might need one more of those to convince me.” He catches Kravitz by the shirt before he can pull away too far, and they kiss again, a bit longer. A bit more handsy. They smile into the kiss and hold each other tighter.</p><p>They do manage get on with it though. The fishing spot isn’t far, and Taako is delighted that even on Krav’s turf, he’s the one who catches the most fish (even if Krav caught the biggest one). Turns out freaky skeletal eldritch fish DO love transmuted gummy worms.</p>
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